Means for holding boxes in place



(No Model.)

7 J. P. WOMBLE. MEANS FOR HOLDING BOXES IN PLACE-' No. 558,332. Patented Apr. 14,1896.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. WOMBLE, OF NEIVPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

MEANS FOR HOLDING BOXESV'IIN PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,332, dated April 14, 1896. Application filed February 14, 1896. Serial No. 579,252- (No model.) I

T0 at whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN P. \VoMBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Holding Boxes and other Vessels in Place; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a box, such as a shoe-blacking box, with means whereby it may be held upon or secured to a board or similar support while being used, the means being of such character as not to interfere with the handling or the packing of the box, and to add but little to the cost of its manufacture; and to this end it consists of the combination, with a box, of an attachment applied thereto, having the characteristics to be hereinafter set forth.

I have illustrated several forms of my invention in the accompanying drawings; but I wish to be understood thatl do not consider my invention confined or limited to the particular forms which I have chosen to illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a shoe-blacking box provided with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are central vertical sections of the same, showing the securing attachment in two different positions. Fig. 4 shows a different form of the attachment detached from the box and in two different positions. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a box of different construction from that shown in Fig. 1 and having a difierent style of attachment applied thereto. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of a box, illustrating a manner of applying the attachment different from that shown in any of the other views. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a different form of the invention.

In the drawings, A designates a box, a shoeblacking box being represented, the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 being provided around the bottom with a flange a, which is a common construction.

To the bottom of the box, preferably at its center, I apply a piercing and securing projection, which may be a screw B, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or a tack B, as represented in Fig. 4, or the pointed end of a piece of sheet metal, as represented'in Figs. 5 and 6, or other analogous form of securing projection. This projection may be applied to the box in different ways, that which I preferbeing to secure the head of a tack or screw, by solder or otherwise, to a piece of sheet metal 0, and permanently secure the latter to the bottom of the box in the proper position. This piece of metal should be bent transversely, so as to ,form two parts which stand at right angles to each other, the securing projection being secured to the shorter of these two parts 0, so that its body or stem is parallel with the other larger part c of the piece 0. The right-hand View of Fig. ashows a form of the attachment complete before it is applied to a box. To apply it, the part c is soldered to the bottom of the box, when the projecting screw B or other securing proj ection will lie parallel with and close to the bottom of the box, and when the box is formed with a flange a entirely Within the latter.

The boxes are put upon the market with the attachment applied as just described and as illustrated in Fig. 1, and it will be seen that the attachment does not interfere with the packing or the handling of the boxes, the attachment being close to the bottom of the box and protected by the flange a.

When the box is to be used, the projection or securing-point and the piece of metal to which it is secured are bent into the position indicated in Fig. 3, with the point standing at right angles to the box-bottom and the two parts oand c of the sheet-metal piece 0 folded close to each other. The projecting point may now be forced into a support, such as a piece of wood, either by a screwing action or by direct pressure, and it will serve to hold the boxwith sufficient firmness while its contents are being used.

When a box without a flange a. is used, a form of securing device like that shown in Fig. 5 may be used. It consists merely of a small piece of sheet metal B with its end except its pointed end, which is left free, so

that it may be turned out at right angles to the box-bottom, as indicated by the dotted lines in said Fig. 5. The pointed end I) of the metal strip can be easily forced in a piece of soft wood and thereby serve to hold the box securely.

Instead of securing the attachment permanently to the box it may be applied or removed at will by providing the bottom of the box with a pocket D, into which the strip of metal which carries the securing-point may be slipped, and such a form of my invention is illustrated in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 7 is shown a form of securing attachment very like that shown in Fig. l, differing only in that the. plate 0 has the side. flanges c, which are turned so as to be perpendicular to the box-bottom. In some respects this is the preferable construction, because the flanges e add stiffness and prevent the part c of the plate from bending or being twisted off when the point is being forced into the wood.

Vhile my invention is particularly adapted to and intended for use with small metallic j boxes, still it might be applied to or combined with other kinds of packages or vessels to prevent them from sliding about or being moved while being used or their contents removed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination with abox, of a securing attachment having a piercing pointed part, and bendable, whereby the piercing part may be arranged substantially parallel with the box, or substantially at right angles thereto, as set forth.

2. The combination with a box, of a secur ing attachment secured to the bottom of the box near its center, and adapted to occupy a position substantiallyparallel with the boxbottom or projecting outward therefrom, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a box provided with a flange around its bottom, of a seeurin g projection applied to the box-bottom within such flange, and having a securing projection adapted to be moved into a position projecting outward from the box, beyond such flange, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with abox, of a securing attachment consisting of a piercing projection, and a bendable connecting-piece between it and the box, substantially as set forth.

5. A securing attachment to be applied to a box, consisting of a piece of metal bent to form two parts, 0 and 0, arranged at angles to each other, and a pointed projection secured to one of the parts of such piece, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a box, of the metal piece, 0, secured thereto, having a portion 0, at substantially right angles to the box-bottom, and a screw secured to the said part a,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses. J OI-IN P. W'OMBLE. \Vitnesses:

SOL MILLER, E. W. MIEs'rEAD. 

